Out of the Darkness
by Upsgirl88
Summary: Two part fic told from Morgan and Ezekiel's POV. When Daryl shows up at the Kingdom and visits Carol at her little house Morgan realizes the King has feelings for Carol. But he also realizes Daryl is in love with her. Could love be the one things that finally brings Carol out of the Darkness?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is just a little scene that came to mind that I wanted to share. I decided to do it in two parts. The first will be in Morgan's POV and the second Ezekiel's. Let me know what you think :)_

 **Part 1**

"Morgan? Tell me what is happening here," Ezekiel said, sliding down off the horse he arrived on. It was one of those rare times Shiva wasn't with him and it was strange to see the King without his pet.

Morgan sighed, "I know I should have run it by you first, but Daryl… he's a friend of Carol's and I thought it would make her… make them both, happy to see each other." Rick had brought Daryl to the Kingdom and asked Ezekiel to help protect him from Negan and the Saviors after his escape from the Sanctuary. Zeke had agreed that Daryl could stay for a few days, until after the Saviors made their collection at the Hilltop and Alexandria, but he had to leave before they came to pick up the goods from the Kingdom. It would buy them a little time to figure out what to do with Daryl or where to safely hide him.

"Friend hmm?" Ezekiel said, giving Morgan a look.

"Nah, it ain't like that," Morgan replied. "At least, not that I'm aware of…" It was interesting that Ezekiel cared just what kind of friends Carol and Daryl were. "Carol was with another guy, Tobin, when she left Alexandria," Morgan explained. "But… I think she was just doing one of her acts - I really don't think she loved him." He was thinking out loud. He had wondered for a while what exactly was up with Carol and Tobin. After Carol left it was clear that she hadn't been in the right frame of mind to be in a relationship with anyone and the fact she gravitated towards Tobin, a bit of a wuss if he was being honest, told Morgan that she was looking to feel normal, and hide from the sins of her past that were eating her up.

"But this Daryl, does she love him?" Zeke said, looking curiously towards the house where Daryl and Carol were alone together inside. Their silhouettes were visible through the front window and the way they were standing so close, heads leaned in towards one another… at a quick glance they certainly looked like lovers.

"Oh she definitely loves him," Morgan nodded. He didn't miss the flash of disappointment in the King's eyes. "They've been through a lot together - right from when this thing started - came all the way from Atlanta with Rick and a few others." Morgan stopped for a moment, then couldn't help but ask. "You like her don't ya?"

Ezekiel's eyes snapped towards his, "I just want the fair lady to be happy." Morgan eyed him, he had a feeling there was more to it than that. "Do you really think Daryl will make her happy?"

Morgan nodded, "I do indeed." There was something in the way that Ezekiel said 'Daryl' that made Morgan a bit weary. There was jealousy there that Morgan really didn't think the King had the right to have at this point.

"Then we should leave them be, give them some privacy," Ezekiel motioned to his men and everyone mounted their rides. "Please let Daryl know a single Knight will wait at the end of the road to lead him back to the Kingdom when he's ready." Once again Zeke's selflessness was evident and Morgan felt a bit of relief.

Morgan nodded his head again and made his way to the front door. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said gently. He could see that Carol had been crying and he hated that he'd broke up whatever they'd been talking about. "Ezekiel asked me to let you know that there's a knight waiting for Daryl, but the rest of us are going to leave."

Carol bobbed her head. "Thank you Morgan… for bringing him to me," she said softly. There was something different in her eyes that he hadn't seen in all the time he'd known her. Her eyes were clear, lighter, as if having Daryl around had lifted something off her. It made Morgan feel really good about his decision. He knew Carol wanted to be alone and it actually bothered him that Ezekiel had given Carol her private space, yet he'd already visited her three times. Zeke said he was just making sure she was safe and comfortable, but Morgan was disappointed because he felt like Ezekiel was contradicting the plan of allowing Carol her freedom by showing up all the time. That's why Morgan was a bit reluctant to tell Daryl where Carol was at first. But after sleeping on it he decided it was the right thing to do . There was no denying that Carol and Daryl had a special relationship and Morgan would be remissed if he didn't at least allow Daryl the chance to bring Carol out of the darkness.

"We'll just be on the way now," Morgan said, peeking into nod at Daryl. He turned to walk away, but then turned back. "Carol… let yourself feel, okay?" She looked surprised but slowly nodded. Morgan wasn't even sure exactly what he'd meant, he'd just felt compelled to say it, but it seemed to have meant something to her and that's what mattered.

Morgan rode back to the Kingdom at Zeke's side. They hung near the back of the group as the others rode a bit ahead. "Morgan," Ezekiel spoke quietly. "Do you believe in the power of love?"

Morgan furrowed his brow as he considered the question. When he thought back to being locked up in his home at the start of the apocalypse with his son Duane, while his wife roamed the streets outside with the dead… it filled his heart with sadness, but if he went back a little further to when they were a happy family he felt differently. Love was what the world was all about. "Yeah, I do," he replied. As he spoke the words he suddenly came to a realization about Carol. And he was pretty sure it was the same one the king came to.

"When Daryl returns to the Kingdom tonight I want to be notified," Zeke informed him. "I'm going to visit Carol when she's alone again."

"Ezekiel," Morgan said in a warning tone that he really shouldn't have taken with the powerful leader, but it couldn't be helped.

"Oh Morgan," he chuckled. "It's not at all what you think. Just trust me."

There was something in his voice that made Morgan believe him. There was a sense of sadness and loss that wouldn't have been there if Ezekiel was planning on expressing his feelings to Carol. No, he had something different planned and Morgan was curious.

When he saw that Daryl had returned Morgan informed Ezekiel and he immediately headed out alone with Shiva by his side. Morgan watched him leave and then went to find Daryl. He hadn't looked good at all. "Hey, you okay?" he asked gently when he found Daryl sitting alone on the steps of the gazebo.

"Yeah," he grunted unconvincingly.

"Nah, you ain't," Morgan replied sitting down beside him. He and Daryl had never really talked and he didn't expect him to open up at all, but Morgan at least wanted Daryl to know he was willing to listen. "If you want to talk I'm a pretty good listener."

There was a long silence. So long that Morgan was about to get up and leave Daryl alone, but a second before he stood Daryl spoke. "I don't want to leave her." The words were barely audible but Morgan made them out.

"At least you know where she is now and that she's safe," he replied, trying to say something that would ease Daryl's mind.

"No one is safe anymore with those fucking saviors out there," Daryl grumbled. Morgan knew he had a point. "I don't know when I'll see her again," he added, leaning his head into his hands.

Morgan was about to way overstep his bounds but he couldn't get Ezekiel's question out of his mind about the power of love. "Does she know how you feel?" Daryl looked at him. It wasn't really a glare, but pretty close. It didn't stop Morgan from pushing a little harder. "Does she know you love her?"

The glare intensified and then slowly it fade away and was replaced by the saddest puppy dog eyes Morgan had ever seen. "I asked her to come with me and she said no." It was a roundabout way of answering the question. Daryl hadn't told Carol how he feels because he didn't believe she felt the same way.

"You gotta tell her," Morgan said. "We don't know how long we got in this world - she needs to know there's someone out there who loves her."

"What if… I mean… she… she don't think of me that way…" Daryl stammered.

"Don't matter," Morgan replied, shaking his head. "She's been through so much, she deserves something good. Whether or not she feels the same way… for Carol to know that a man feels the way you feel about her… it's special and beautiful. She will appreciate that. And…" Morgan smiled, thinking of the look he'd seen in Carol's eyes. "I think you might be surprised."

Daryl looked so much like a child when he was unsure of himself and Morgan had to resist the urge to hug him. He knew Daryl wasn't much for physical contact and there was only one person who could get away with touching him in such an intimate way. Instead he clapped his shoulder in a gesture of support.

Suddenly Daryl jumped up. "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go tell her - right now." Morgan was too stunned to say anything at first, but he jumped up too and ran after Daryl.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning?" he asked, jogging to catch up.

"Nope. Gotta do this now - before I chicken out," Daryl replied, heading for the stables.

Morgan sighed, hoping to hell he hadn't just created a huge mess. "I'll come with you for the ride," he said, praying the knot in his stomach meant nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a big fan of TV Ezekiel. So my therapy was to write and Ezekiel that I like. I hope you like this version as well. Have a great night!_

 **Out of the Darkness - Part 2**

"Ezekiel," Carol sighed. "It's late, what are you doing here?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked. Carol wearily eyed the tiger. "I'll chain him outside," Zeke chuckled. "He's not much of a house cat anyway." He quickly chained up Shiva and entered the house. "We need to talk," he said, dropping the accent and the clairvoyant act. It was part of the reason he loved being around Carol - she was the only one who knew the real him.

"Fine, come sit," she said leading him to the living room. Zeke sat in a chair and she sat across the room on the couch. It was evident she was distancing herself, both physically and emotionally. Whatever happened with her and Daryl had her on edge.

"I'm not gonna lie, you intrigue me," Ezekiel started. He could see her bristle and knew he was making her uncomfortable so he tried to get the rest out quickly. "That's why I want to help you, why I've been so focussed on making you realize you have a future out there." He took a deep breath. "It wasn't until today that I realized exactly how I'm going to help."

"You gotta stop… you and Morgan both…" Carol said, sighing again.

"No, for once - you - need to listen," Zeke interrupted, his tone very serious. She glared but like she did so many others Carol didn't scare him. "You have a future if you would just open your damn heart and let love in."

Her eyes widened, "You mean… you?" Her words hurt him because she seemed so shocked and resistant. He decided it was because of how she felt about Daryl, and not because of anything personal towards him.

"No, sadly, not me," Zeke shook his head. "You know who. It's why you look like someone just died, sadder than I have ever seen you before. You know, I know, Morgan knows and… I am pretty sure he probably knows too, though he seems just as damn stubborn as you from what I have seen."

"I can't be in love," Carol snapped. "That just makes it even worse."

"Oh Carol, but don't you see? You already are. You love him. It's too late to change that," Ezekiel replied, his voice softening. "I don't know when it happened, but I'm willing to bet how you feel about Daryl is part of why you ran away." He could tell from the look on her face that he was right. "You gotta stop running away from the one thing left in this world that makes life worth living."

"I don't want to see him die," she stated. "It's not just him, others too. But Daryl… that would kill me."

"So you lock yourself away here, alone, and you take the chance you'll never see him again?" Zeke prodded. "Don't you see? You're killing them all. You're killing them in your mind I mean." Carol looked away. "And you know what else? You're killing yourself in their world, taking yourself out of their lives like this." Still she wouldn't look at him. "Carol, please… let yourself love and let yourself be loved. It's not gonna be easy. Nothing is easy anymore. But don't punish yourself like this, don't punish those who care about you."

Finally she looked up and she admitted something he never thought he would hear from her lips, "I'm scared." Tears filled her eyes. "Love has never really worked out for me… the people I love - they die. That's why I refused to let myself fall in love with him. If I do… he's going to die."

Ezekiel stood and walked over to her. He offered a hug and she took it. It wasn't the kind of hug he'd imagined and hoped for, but it still felt good to comfort her. "Daryl isn't going to die because you love him… he's going to live, he's going to be happy, because you love him."

He held her for a long time, letting her cry silently. Ezekiel knew it was going to rip his heart out to see her leave with Daryl, but he was feeling pretty confident at that point that he'd got through to her - finally, and that was all that truly mattered.

Zeke heard a low rumble coming from outside and he quickly released her. "Someone is here," he whispered. Shiva could sense someone approaching long before they arrived. Ezekiel quickly went outside to calm the tiger before he let out a full roar.

Carol followed him and they waited on the porch until the two figures came into view: Morgan and Daryl. Zeke felt a sadness wash over him. Even though he'd been instrumental in setting things up, it was still hard to accept that in only a few minutes he would lose her for good. He sucked in a breath and put back on his royal persona, "Morgan, my good Shepherd, what brings you here on this fine evening?"

Morgan didn't reply, Daryl did, but he wasn't addressing Ezekiel. "Is he why? Is he why… you said no? Why you won't come with me?" His tone was seething with jealousy but the look on his face was pure, gut wrenching hurt.

"No you idiot," Carol replied, stepping off the porch and starting towards him. "You can thank him for giving me the kick in the ass I needed. I'm coming with you," she said softly as she stopped before him. "Because… I love you."

"Oh," Daryl muttered, looking dumbfounded as if that was the last thing he expected. Zeke looked at Morgan and saw him grinning.

"Oh? That's it?" Carol teased.

"No, uh, no… I mean.. uh," Daryl stammered. "I love you too," he whispered. Ezekiel was pretty sure he had never seen a man so shy and unsure of himself. He was also sure that Carol's love would change that - quickly.

He risked a glance at Carol's face and his heart ached. The look on her face was exactly the way he'd wanted her to look at him. Zeke realized they were going to kiss, likely their first real kiss and he knew he should look away and give them privacy, but he couldn't make himself avert his eyes. It was magical. Like that moment in a movie that builds for 90 minutes and finally happens. It made his heart ache again, but for a different reason. The two of them, kissing passionately in the moonlight was so tender and touching, like an artist painting a beautiful portrait on a canvas.

When the kiss went on a little longer than expected he finally looked away and caught Morgan's eye. He could see a look of respect and gratitude from his new friend. He had asked for Morgan's trust and he'd given it, so Zeke felt good he had made good on their agreement.

When Ezekiel looked away the kiss had ended and they were hugging. He gave them a moment before he finally spoke. "Stay here tonight," Ezekiel said, placing a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "But do stop by in the morning for a delightful breakfast, and to bid us all adieu." He addressed them both. "And remember, once things settle you always welcome at The Kingdom."

He tugged Shiva's leash, nodded to Morgan and they started to walk away. Ezekiel didn't look back. He knew if he did he would see the silhouette of lovers, leaning on each other. His heart was breaking but he knew it would heal. And he knew he could be proud for helping bring Carol out of the darkness she had enslaved herself in. The real hero, her hero, was the handsome redneck in her arms and he couldn't help but wish them a long and happy life together. Zeke smiled, one day his queen would arrive too. And he would understand the true power… of love.


End file.
